Caste of FW

Caste

Free women belong to almost all of the Castes on Gor except the Initiates, Players and Assassins. The books specifically state that women may not belong to the Initiate Caste. Though there is no specific prohibition in the books against women belonging to the Players and Assassins Castes, the evidence supports their exclusion. Both are Castes you must actively petition to join. Mere birth does not grant one membership in those Castes. The books state that generally women do not or may not play Kaissa. The books also state that the Assassin Caste seeks men of a particular caliber. There is no indication that either Caste permits women or has female members.

Free women are either born into their caste, assume the Caste of their Free Companion, or petition to join a Caste. Children take on the Caste of their father. This permits a woman to become a member of the Warrior Caste if her father is a member. Normally, Free Companions share the same caste though it is permitted for people to Free Companion people outside of their Caste. When a woman joins in Free Companionship, she has the option to assume the Caste of her mate. She can choose to retain her Caste. It is unknown if the woman retains the option to change Caste throughout the length of the Free Companionship or if there is a time limit on her choice. Even if she retains her Caste, her children will still assume the Caste of their father. Women can petition to join a Caste and they follow the same rules as a man would in such a petition. The High Council of the city would need to approve of the change as well as the intended new Caste.

When you become a member of a Caste, you will receive all of the normal benefits of that Caste such as Caste Sanctuary and charity. But, you generally cannot work in your Caste until you complete an apprenticeship or accepted training program. You may be permitted to engage in some limited Caste activities without such training but your role would always remain limited. Many women choose not to perform the work of their Caste but there are numerous exceptions. In general, women do not engage in work requiring a lot of physical strength such as working at a forge, woodcutting and such. Woman often work as Scribes and Merchants. There are even female Slavers, some who engage in field captures though the majority just manage Slave Houses within the cities.

Women also engage in work in the Physician's Caste. But, there is a common limitation on such women. They cannot engage in the full practice of medicine until they have first given birth to two children. It is likely their function before birthing the requisite children might be akin to being a nurse. In many cities, at age fifteen, a woman of the Physician's Caste will be given two bracelets to wear. She can remove one bracelet each time she has a child. When she has removed both bracelets, she may then practice medicine as a full Physician. The rationale behind this prerequisite is that professional women tend not to have children. If this were allowed to occur, it would serve over time to diminish the quality and size of the Caste. Thus, the rule helps to preserve the future of the Caste. The welfare of the Caste takes priority over the ambitions and desires of specific individuals. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. Caste is vitally important to Goreans so this logic is accepted as valid and is not questioned.

Women may become members of the Warrior's Caste by birth or Free Companionship. Yet, women are never trained by the Caste to become warriors. There is no instance in any of the novels where a woman was ever trained as a warrior in the Warrior's Caste. The books do not explicitly state that women are never trained as Warriors but the evidence supporting that conclusion is very compelling. A deeper analysis of this issue is the topic of Education Scroll #15, Female Warriors. Probably the most compelling argument is the same logic used by the Physician's Caste. Female Warriors would be less likely to reproduce and their deaths in combat would also serve to decrease the birth rate. Combined, these would tend to destroy the Warrior Caste over time. And this would never be permitted to occur.

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